Chief,
Good comments, and I completely agree that it is the officials' responsibility to "reel in" the players when intensity turns into an unacceptable level of risk. You've made some very good points; I've also looked at this from a different perspective on many occasions when I've seen my keeper battered and bowled over on similar plays and had to wonder whether this was the time she wouldn't be able to bounce back up and keep playing. Part of it, of course, is her willingness to put herself in harm's way to make the save, and I have seen keepers called and cautioned for putting themselves in the path of a hard-charging attacker. In this case, I just think there split-second difference between a playable ball and one that is "too close" to the keeper to challenge; the forward made the decision to commit to the ball as soon as it was played, and the keeper made the decision to step into her oncoming path to make the save. I think you could make a case for either side, foul or no foul, and even a case for dangerous play on the keeper's part for the way she came into a charging opponent high and open...in this case, for right or for wrong, both officials seemed to agree that it was a playable ball and the forward either had the right to challenge for it or was not reasonably able to alter her path in response to the keeper's motion.
You're right...this has been a good debate, and sometimes it's a difference of opinion and perspective that gets people to actually THINK...and that's always a good thing.
